Window regulator



L. W. GATES.

WINDOW REGULATOR.

APPLICATION EILED SEPT- 7. 1920.

Patented Mar- 7,1922.

Lou 5 M 654 2-15 pletely lowered.

Price.

ae, or person, moment, ASSIGNOR T0 rnansrnnr MANUFAC- rnnnve co, or :onraoir, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION or MICHIGAN.

"WINDOW REGULATOR.

Specification 01' Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 7,1922.

51' 0 all w 7: 0m it may concern Be it known that I, Louis W. Germs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Detroit, in the county of Wayne and State of ltlichiga-n, have invented certain new and useful lmprovements in Window llegula tors, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to window regulators, and has for its object a regulator which comprises simply an arrangement of levers which may be secured, to one side of the window well and which is calculated to raise the window by multiplication of movemeutoi the primary lever. The primary lover can be actuated by a few turns of a crank handlein the arrangement illustrated, about three and a half.

The arrangement gives all the advantages of an easy lift that is ordinarily afforded by a chain drive regulator and eliminates many of its disadvantages, among which is looseness and cost otconstruction. These advantages will better appear after a detailed description has been given.

in the dra\vings,--

The figure shows the window regulator 1n elevation, showing the levers in two positions. The upper position is the position the parts assume when the window is completely raised. The lower position is the position the parts assume when the window is coma designates the window posts; 7) the usual lock board; while the dotted lines 0 indicate the bottom rail of a window. (Z represents a circular supporting plate and e the crank handle pivoted thereon, to which is attached a plurality of pins 7 engaging the teeth of the segment h. The pins form the driving member. The segment 71 is part of the lever i, which is the primary lever and which is iulcrumed at A coiled counterbalancing spring 70 is attached at Z to this primary lever andtends to resist the downward movement of the window to store energy to help lift it.

The primary lever is attached at its end to the draft link m which has its lower end engaging with one corner ot the triangular plate "a. A second corner of the triangular plate a pivots the arm 0, the opposite end oi which is pivoted at p to a toggle arm '1'. This toggle arm 1 is pivoted to the lower rail 0 oi the window. The companion toggle arm is designated 8 and is pivoted to the toggle arm r and to a side bracket or anchor- 1ng member t that can be secured to the side of the window post.

The action is simply this: Atthe beginning of the ascent the operation is really that of a triple system of levers, for instance, we have the main lever 2' which is it'ulcrumed at j, whose power end is the teeth h and whose load end is at the pivot of the draft link m. The draft link m then transfers the load from the second lever which happens to be the plate n having its fulcrum at a: and its load at u and its power application at'o. The arm 0 then transfers the load from the toggle arm 7" which pivots at w and has its load at y and its power application at p. It will be noted that in each of these three lever cases there is an adverse leverage, that is, the load arm of the lever is longer than the power arm. This consequently simply results in a multiplication of movement for a given turn of the segment h, and that is what the triple lever arrangement is for.

As the window ascends, the point '1) comes substantially under the point u and substantially eliminates the plate 12- as a multiplying lever, but now the plate it begins to draw on the toggle arm 8 at the point a: and converts this toggle arm into a multiplying lever, In fact, until the window is almost three-quarters closed, the various leversswing around so that really the only effective multiplying ones are the primary lever and the toggle arms 8, but as the window gets to about the last quarter of its rise, the action is really a lazy-tong action, as will be evident from comparing the two positions of the lever shown in the drawings. The toggle arms 8 and r in the upper position are substantially on a straight or center line or slightly thereover, while that portion of the plate it included between the pivot a: and the pivot a, which is in elfeet a toggle arm, and the toggle arm 0 approach a straight line but do not quite reach it. That portion of the plate between the points x and u and the link 0 might be referred to as auxiliary toggle arms for that is what they really are, They are auxiliary toggle arms pivoted to the main toggle arms 3 and 7. These two sets of toggle arms form the lazy-tongs. As already indicated, the

action is in the effect first that of a plurality of multiplying levers. This is the action through substantially the first three Quarters of the movement of the window upward. As the last quarter is reached the draft link m draws upon the plate n so as to tend to cause the two sets of toggle arms to straighten out by drawing in on the knee of the set of small toggle arms. This does I the movement but rather denot multiplIyI owever, the toggle arm or lever creases it.

s has now come to substantially horizontal started and a slightly slower movement as the window finally closes. This slower movement, of course, means that less force is required toaccomplish it and hence the lifting starts out easily and the window closes with sort of a snap as the operator I continues the same force in turning the handleat the finish, resulting in slightly speeding up the movement and serving to cause the main toggle arms to snap by their center and the weather rail and Weatherstrip (not sh own) to jamtogether.

It will be noted thatthere 1s a stop 1 struck out of the toggle arm .9 and the shoulder 2 on the end of the toggle arm r. These engage in the uppermost position to prevent the main toggle arms passing much beyond their straight line'position. The effect of this is important as it looks the window in its uppermost position against any effort tending to lower it applied to the window. The thrust of such an effort is substantially on the dead center line of the toggle arms or else tends to break them in the direction in which the stops prevent any further movement.

It will be evident from the above description that although the exact explanation of the levers and the respective mechanical advantages is more or less complicated, the de vice is very simple to build from a manufacturing standpoint and yet most efficient. The levers are all practically nothing but strap metal that can be stamped out in great quantities at little cost. The pivots are simply rivets.

The device may be accurately assembled to the job simply by placing the supporting plate d in the mortise made for it in the lock board. The levers are then moved until the larger toggle arms snap by their center and rest against the stops. The window is then raised to its iipper limit. The bracket 25 is then run along the side of the window post and fastened by screws wherever the two main toggle arms located in their straight hne position brings it. i

It Wlll be noticed that in effect the plate 91.

is a bent lever of the third order during the initial stages of the raising of the window from the bottom of the well. I, therefore, refer to it in the claims as a lever of the third order. I have found it expedient in the claims to refer to a number of the elements by their reference characters. This is not intended as a limitation but merely in the interest of clearness in view of the fact that in this case there are such a large number of similar elements that it is hard to otherwise properly identify'them.

What I claim is:

1. In a window regulator, the combination of a supporting plate, a driving member journaled thereon, a lever anchoring member for attachment to a window frame, and a lever system for connecting the driving member, the anchoring member and the bottom of the window, comprising a primary lever i, a draft link pivoted thereto, and two sets of toggle arms, the main set being between the anchoring member and the bottom of the window and the auxiliary set pivoted to these toggle arms and connected with the draft link.

2. In a window regulator, the combination of a supporting plate, a driving member journaled thereon, a lever anchoring member for attachment to a window frame, and a system of levers between the driving member, the anchoring member and the bottom of the window, comprising a primary lever i, a draft link, and two sets of toggle arms, one a main set engaging between the anchoring member and the bottom of the window, the

other a smaller set secured to the larger toggle arms and including a triangular member to which is attached to the draft link m.

3. ln a window regulator, the combination of a. supporting plate, a driving member journaled thereon, a lever anchoring member adapted for attachment to the side of a window post, and a system of levers connecting the anchoring member, the driving member and the bottom of the window, comprising a primary lever and'gear segment i, a draft link m, a triangular plate a connected therewith, a companion toggle arm 0 together with two larger toggle arms 8 and 1' to which the latter two members are pivoted and which engage between the anchoring member and the bottom of the window.

III

bottom of the window, said two larger toggle arms being provided with a stop and a shoulder to prevent their breaking in one direction and hence locking the window in its uppermost position against effort tending to breakthe toggle arms through an effort on the window.

5. In a window regulator, a lever anchor- .ing member for attachment to a window frame, and a lever system between the anchoring member and the bottom of the window comprising two sets of toggle arms, the main set bei g between the anchoring member and the ottom of the window and the auxiliary set pivoted to these toggle arms, and means for pulling upon said auxiliary set of toggle arms for swinging the main set of levers from a point below said anchoring member to a position above said anchoring member and for straightening said sets of toggle arms to raise the window.

6. In a window regulator, the combination of a lever anchoring member for attachment to a window frame, a lever system for conneoting the anchoring member and bottom of the window, comprising two sets of toggle arms, the main set being located between the anchoring member and the bottom of the window and the auxiliary set pivoted to these toggle arms, one of said auxiliary set of toggle arms provided with an extended portion which forms in effect a bent lever of the third order (specifically the plate n), and means for pulling upon said bent lever of the third. order'to swing said levers above their fulcrum on the lever anchoring member and to straighten or fold the auxiliary toggle arms for the purpose of raising or lowering the window.

7. In a window regulator, the combination of a lever anchoring member for attachment to the side of a window post, a pair of toggle arms, one pivoted to the anchoring member and the other pivoted to the bottom of the window and the said toggle arms arranged to swing above and below their fulcrum on said anchoring member, a second set of auxiliary toggle arms, one pivoted to each of the first-mentioned toggle arms, the auxiliary toggle arm which is pivoted to the main toggle arm secured to the anchoring member being in effect also a bent lever of the third order (specifically the plate a), and means for engaging the bent lever of the third order for swinging said toggle arms above and below their point of fulcruming on the anchoring member and for straightening orfolding the auxiliary toggle arms to raise or lower the window.

8. In a window regulator, a lever anchoring member for attachment to the side of a window frame, and a lever system including a plurality of levers arranged in lazy tongs relation and adapted to pivot all together as a unit onsaid fulcrum and swing from a position below said fulcrum to a position above in straightening out and vice versa in folding up.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

LOUIS W. GATES. 

